Dog Mushing and Wilderness Skills Course

Course Details 

(order of activities and activity specifics are subject to change due to weather or scheduling)

 

Please arrive the night before the first day of activities. (food and accommodation included at no extra cost)

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Day 1:

• In order to immerse yourself into the world of dog mushing, we will discuss and learn about topics such as:

  • Dog mushing history

  • Our philosophy

  • Dog psychology

  • How to dress for the cold

  • Risk management

• The dog mushing equipment list is long, and it’s all in the details.  Preparedness is essential to a successful run. Together we’ll determine what priorities our pieces of equipment have, and how to pack our sleds.  We will also do some fun activities to help you familiarize yourself with the equipment.

• The dogs are only as good as the food going in, so we only feed our dogs the best.  We will take you through the basics of sporting dog nutrition and the management of our dog kitchen. 

• Drive dogs underneath the Arctic night sky.  For your first drive, you will start out as a passenger.  Each sled will be driven by one guide with two students sitting.  You will have an opportunity to drive in this stress-free environment with your guide and one student being your passengers.

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Day 2:

• Time to put your knowledge to good use.  Together we will prepare our equipment, harness our dog teams, and head out for a half-day of driving.  During this drive, you will share your sled with one student while the guide drives their team upfront. This gives you a chance to support each other with an extra pair of eyes and an extra pair of hands. 

• To be able to embrace the wilderness, we need some essential skills including working with knife handling skills, learning how to set up a laavu (tipi), and fire-making skills.  We will do this by taking a hike into the forest via snowshoe, and settle down for some fieldwork.

• The tradition of the sauna is rooted deep into the culture of the north, and it’s the best way to wash! Sweat out all the dirt from your body and relax all of your tired muscles.  Our homestead is true to the Scandinavian way, wood-fired sauna and no shower (at least not a traditional one).

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​Days 3 and 4:

• From now on, you will be driving your own sled and hauling your own gear.  Your practice over the past two days will give you a great baseline for this new experience.  After packing our sleds we will head out for a two-day adventure.  

• Our trail will stretch further away from the homestead, and it’ll be just us and the dogs.  We will prepare their food and bed them down in straw so they are warm.  

• A suitable camping spot, a full stomach, and the music of the dogs howling are all you need to put you to sleep in our lavvu (tipi).  If we’re lucky, we’ll have a chance to see the northern lights.

• After two full days of driving, you will be ready for some rest and relaxation.  After caring for your furry friends, we’ll hit the sauna for round two.

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Please plan your departure for the morning after the last day of activities. (food and accommodation included at no extra cost)

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What’s included in the course:

 

Clothing:

• Insulated bibs (aka salopettes)

• Insulated jacket

• Balaclava 

• Insulated hat

• Extra-large insulated mittens 

• Boots

 

Other equipment:

• Thermos

• Large headlight for driving dog sled

• Snowshoes

• Knife and fire steel

• Sleeping bag rated to -58°C (-72.4°F)

• Sleeping pad

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**There is a 1500 SEK deposit required for the use of our equipment.**

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Accommodation: Just 20 meters from the main house on the homestead lies our guest cabin.  It is there that you will rest your head after a hard day’s work. It has electricity, wifi, and drinking water available.  There is an outhouse located just next to it. While there is no shower on our property, we do have a wood-fired sauna. It is the traditional way to bathe in Scandinavia, and you’ll never feel cleaner.  If you’re not a fan of saunas, don’t fret. While it’s warming up, it’s a comfortable place to bathe before it’s too hot.

 

Food:  All of the meals will be provided for you.  The activities of food preparation and cooking will be spent as a group.  Some of our meals include; wild game and potatoes, homemade soup, sandwiches on home-baked bread, and eggs from our chickens.  If you have dietary requirements please let us know so we can accommodate you.  

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Transportation: We will provide transportation to and from Luleå airport, train, or bus station.

 

Packing List:

Follow the links for our recommendations which are available for pre-order.

 

• Personal items (toiletries, underwear, necessary medication)

• Clothing

  • Base layers top and bottom (wool or synthetic)

  • Mid-layers top and bottom (wool or synthetic; ex: fleece sweater and pants)

  • Insulated mid-layers  top and bottom (thin puff jacket or thick wool sweater, insulated pants or thick wool or fleece pants)

  • Socks two thinner pair and two thicker pair (be sure that they’re not too tight, wool is highly recommended)

  • Liner gloves (thin gloves to wear inside mittens)

  • Insulated work gloves (if you want to wear liner gloves inside these, buy one size bigger)

  • Personal headlight (for use at camp)

• Second neckwarmer

• Knit hat

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Are you Interested?

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If you are interested please email us at northernsouljourneys@gmail.com with the subject line ‘dog mushing course.’ Alternatively, you can fill out the contact form found on our contact page.  We want to ensure that you are prepared and know what to expect for this course. Please don’t hesitate to ask questions regarding the course, our homestead, or our dogs.

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Requirements of Students

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Because there will be a lot of physical activity, you must have good balance and reasonable strength in your arms.  A good reference for your arm strength is the ability to lift a 10-liter (5-gallon) bucket of water.

 

You must be 18 years or older to join this course.

 

Prior to arrival: You must have proof of travel insurance, for example, World Nomads or proof that your health insurance will cover the activities of the course. You will also be required to sign our agreement acknowledging the risks.

 

We require a deposit of 20% of the course cost to secure a place.  This deposit is fully refundable up to 2 months before the course start date.  After that date, it is not refundable. The balance of the payment is due 2 weeks prior to arrival and is not refundable.

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Northern Soul Journeys with Kinnunen Levy Adventures AB is a fully reputable and insured outdoor and adventure company.